Amber Neely
Apple is seeking to halt the distribution of an action-comedy film titled "Apple-Man," fearing consumers may believe the film is associated with the Cupertino-based tech giant.
In 2020, Ukrainian film director Vasyl Moskalenko wrapped up a successful Kickstarter campaign for his indie action-comedy movie, "Apple Man." The film centers around a superhero who has the power to levitate apples — the fruit.
Now, as the film enters post-production, Apple has begun the process of shutting down the world's first healthy lifestyle superhero film before it ever reaches consumers.
According to the film's creator, Apple has filed a 467-page lawsuit against him, stating that consumers may believe "Apple Man" is "associated with, or approved, endorsed, or provided by Apple."
Moskalenko notes that his movie has been approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Apple is now attempting to have the trademark registration application denied.
"If my registration would be denied, there are no guarantees that Apple wouldn't demand to delete my film after its release," Moskalenko told iPhone in Canada.
"It actually looks like a trademark bullying," added Moskalenko. "I still hope this situation is just a misunderstanding. I am open to negotiations and hope we can resolve this dispute."
Apple has a history of stepping in when it believes its trademarks are being infringed upon. For example, in 2017, Apple sued Swiss watch conglomerate Swatch for emblazoning "Tick different" on specific watch models, a phrase Apple claimed is a play on its 1990s "Think Different" ad campaign.
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In other news, Apple filed a lawsuit against the US Apple Association, an amalgam of growers, packers, shippers, and marketers of apples, for trademark infringement. An Apple spokesperson was quoted as saying, We can’t have people mistaking Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith apples for our products. The public might become confused.”
For what it's worth, when I first read the headline it did make me think it was some kind of Apple-hating troll film. Kind of reminded me of “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs,” where that clown Mike Daisy fabricated all kinds of nonsense about Apple and got called out for it.
Apple has some previous history. Apple Computer was sued by the Beatles company, Apple, for the use of the name. The eventual settlement required Apple Computer never to move into music. Over the subsequent years, Apple Computer dropped the "Computer" and moved into music. I imagine this all happened before Apple's current lawyers grew up.
These pointless litigations do not portray Apple in a good light.
The name “Apple” is just opened up for all sorts of trouble. Should “Intel” prohibit CIA or FBI for using the word intel? I think Apple is just overly sensitive on this matter just because the company is becoming so big now. This is like the modern version of “don’t mock the king or you will be executed”. Long live “Apple” but perhaps leave the small guy alone.
This is a bad look for Apple. It's completely ridiculous. No one in his or her right mind would confuse the two.